The line was half a block long, not an unusual occurrence at Gagosian Beverly Hills, but certainly one that hasn’t happened since its Oscar week opening featuring Damien Hirst in February. Wednesday night’s opening of “America Too,” the third collaboration between Takashi Murakami and Virgil Abloh, drew a small army of fans, most of them young and several of them famous.
Travis Scott, Kourtney Kardashian, Usher, Kid Cudi, Orlando Bloom and Luka Sabbat were spotted in the crowd, which was sizable inside, though nothing compared with the orderly throng outside. They were let in a handful at a time, making it possible for as many fans to take in the event as possible.
Many of the artworks themselves, in a variety of media, were also oversize, including the giant “Material Too,” a take on the American flag, that hung in the center of the North Gallery. It was probably also the biggest number of iPhones seen at an art opening, as young fans excitedly Instagrammed themselves in front of the colorful works, including Murakami’s iconic rainbow flower, onto which the signature arrows of Abloh’s Off-White label were overlaid, or “Arrows and Flower Neon Sign” and a rotating piece that blinked like a

Louis Vuitton revealed this summer it will bid good-bye to Takashi Murakami, but the artist’s work will be all over Aspen this winter.
In a first for the artist, Murakami has designed a technicolor ski lift ticket for Aspen Skiing Company. For those whose wintery pursuits are more après-ski than back country, lift tickets are what skiers and snowboarders must wear and have scanned each time they take a run. Many weekend warriors — and day-trippers — tend to keep them on their jackets well past the expiration date. When they are unveiled in mid-October, the Murakami designs are meant to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Aspen Skiing Company’s collaboration with the Aspen Art Museum, which puts art in unexpected places. Last season, artist Teresita Fernández created a site-specific wall drawing at ASC’s Elk Camp restaurant and Anne Collier created the limited-edition lift tickets. (New Yorkers may have seen an installation by Fernández in Madison Square Park. ASC consists of four resorts — Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Butternilk.
The Shigeru Ban-designed Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting institution that presents international contemporary art, as well as immersive activities, public programs and community events. In February, the museum previewed “Jellyfish Eyes,” the

The directorial debut from accalimed artist Takashi Murakami, Jellyfish Eyes brings its creator’s endless imagination to the screen in a tale of family, friendship, and loyalty set in a world of fantasy that only Murakami could conjure. Having moved to the country with his mother following the death of his father, young Masashi (Takuto Sueoka) immediately makes a most unlikely friend: a flying, jellyfish-like sprite that he nicknames Kurage-bo. Taking Kurage-bo under his wing and into the classroom, Masashi soon discovers that his schoolmates have similar friends – and that they, their creators, and the town itself are not all they seem to be. Pointedly set in a post-Fukushima world, Murakami’s film carries a message of cooperation and hope while boasting unforgettable creature designs and handmade special effects nearly a decade in the making. A touching triumph of creativity and wonder, Jellyfish Eyes is a must-see for film lovers of all ages.